A bronzed-metal arts and crafts lantern attributed to F & C Osler, Birmingham.  The vaseline-glass insert almost certainly by James Powell & Sons of Whitefriars. Distinct Osler foliate detailing  with original ceiling hook plate but apparently unsigned. England, c. 1900

Diam. 18cm/7in Ht. lantern 38/15, Overall 51/20

Provenance: see picture 4 of Osler lantern with matching foliate detailing

F & C Osler, Birmingham & London

• The company Osler was established in Birmingham, 1807 by Thomas Osler

• The business really began functioning in 1831 when his sons Abraham Follett & Thomas Clarkson took over and the company.

• Specialising in crystal glass chandeliers they opened a showroom filled with the best stock on Oxford Street.

• In the latter half of the 19th century Osler found success in India due to the countries wealth and efficient shipping links.

•  The name F & C Osler was first recognised on 14th July 1906 when the children and grandchildren of Follett and Clarkson became the first directors.

• From 1911 the demand for simple clean pieces of glass was lost, however the demand for light fittings made entirely of metal was flourishing.

• This coincided nicely with the opportunity to acquire a lighting company named Faraday & Son Ltd in 1919 and the company became Osler & Faraday Ltd.

Whitefriars Glass Company, London

James Powell & Sons

• In 1834 James Powell,  then a 60-year-old London wine merchant and entrepreneur, purchased the Whitefriars Glass Company, a small glass-works off Fleet Street in London.

• Powell, and his sons Arthur and Nathanael, were newcomers to glass making, but soon acquired the necessary expertise and specialised in making church stain glass windows.

• During the latter part of the c.19th, the firm formed a close association with leading architects and designers. Whitefriars produced the glass that Phillip Webb used in his designs for William Morris

• By 1900 production lines of  vaseline and opalescent glass-ware, including lampshades, were proving to be extremely successful with clients such as William Arthur Smith Benson using their glass in the design of their lights.

• The firm’s name was changed to Powell & Sons (Whitefriars) Ltd in 1919